Ubekholelwa kubuwena nasekuzenzeleni uBiko
UBiko “ubaba wamaZim’ Zim” wabulawa ngamaBhunu obandlululo eneminyaka yobudala engama-31 kodwa izwe eselishukumise ngendlela ebabazekayo.
Imvamisa abantu abalungile futhi abawusizo emphakathini nabayisibonelo esihle kwabaningi abaphili isikhathi eside, basheshe bahambe emhlabeni kusalindelwe lukhulu kubona.
Labo bantu kuthi uma sebehambile emhlabeni kusale kukhalwa kwazise indima enhle abese beyiqalile abazange bayiphothule.
Omunye walabo bantu yingwazi uMnu uStephen “Steve” Bantu Biko owayengumholi weBlack Consciousness Movement (BCM).
UBiko “ubaba wamaZim’ Zim” wabulawa ngamaBhunu obandlululo eneminyaka yobudala engama-31 kodwa izwe eselishukumise ngendlela ebabazekayo. UBiko wafa zili-12 kuMandulo ngowe-1977 ngemuva kokuhlukunyezwa ngokushaywa kusukela eboshiwe mhla zili-18 kuNcwaba ngowe-1977. Ugitsheliswe ngemuva evenini yamaphoyisa enqunu wahamba ibanga elingamakilomitha evile e-1000 eyiswa ejele iKgosi Mampuru (njengamanje) ePitoli, esuka ePort Elizabeth, elimele engasakwazi ukukhuluma, engasazikhumbuli negama lakhe.
Ijele ashonela kulo kwakuthiwa yiPretoria Central Prison ngaleso sikhathi, kunqunywa kulona abantu.
Wayezalwe ngoZibandlela we-1946 elokishini iGinsberg, eKing Williams Town, e-Eastern Cape.
UBiko uboshwe ngoba ayephule “umthetho” ayebekelwe wona wokungaphumi ngaphandle kwaseKing Williams Town, wayehamba nomngani wakhe, uMnu uPeter Cyril Jones, beya emhlanganweni eCape Town. Baboshwa ePort Elizabeth.
Umthente uhlabe usamila ngoba uBiko uzalwa emndenini owawukhanyiselwe ngepolitiki e-Eastern Cape. Umnewabo, uMnu uKhaya Biko, wayeyilungu likaPoqo, uphiko lwezempi lwePan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC).
UBiko waxoshwa eLovedale College, e-Eastern Cape, ngoba umnewabo waboshelwa ukuba yilungu likaPoqo. Wagcina esefudukele eSt Francis College eMarrianhill, entshonalanga yeTheku, lapho aphothula khona ibanga le-12, wemukelwa esikhungweni esiqeqesha odokotela eWentworth ngaphansi kweUniversity of Natal. ISt Francis College ikhiqize uMnu uMosioua “Terror” Lekota, uDkt uBaldwin Sipho “Ben” Ngubane, uDkt uHarriette Ngubane, uDkt uBandile Mkhize, uSolwazi uMseshi Aaron Ndlovu (ongasekho), inyanga uSamuel Jamile (ongasekho) uMnu uSipho Ngobese noMnu uCyril Madlala, ababeyizintatheli zamaphephandaba, uMnu Zakhele “MZ” Khumalo nabanye.
Efika uBiko eWentworth, waba yinkanyezi ekhanyisela hhayi nje abafundi boHlanga kuphela ababengontanga yakhe kodwa nesizwe sonke ngoba izinhlangano zepolitiki iPAC ne-African National Congress (ANC) zase zivalwe umlomo.
NguBiko owashumayela iBlack Consciousness ngeminyaka ye-1960 isiyophela kwaze kwaba sekuqaleni kweye-1970 kwaze waba uyashona.
Izimfundiso zikaBiko zazinika ithemba kwaboHlanga ababecindezelwe.
Yena nabanye abafundi basemanyuvesi abase bekhanyiselwe, baqhamuka nalo mkhankaso wokukhuculula insila yokuzenyeza kwaboHlanga. Ekufikeni kwakhe eWentworth, uzimbandakanye neNational Union of South African Students (NUSAS) eyayixube izinhlanga.
Ekuhambeni kwesikhathi uBiko nabanye abafundi boHlanga baxebuka kuNUSAS besola insila yobandlululo kuyona, basungula iSouth African Students’ Organization (SASO) eyethulwa eTurfloop (University of the North) ngowe-1969.
UBiko wayehambela zonke izikhungo zemfundo ephakeme eshumayela ivangeli leBlack Consciousness, esungula namagatsha eSASO.
Wafika oNgoye (University of Zululand,) KwaDlangezwa, wathola uMnu uLindani Muntu Myeza, UMnu uNichodemus Mthuli Shezi, uMnu uMusibudi Aaron Mangena bengabaholi beSASO, wafika e-University of Durban Westwille wathola uMnu uStrini Moodley, uMnu uSaths Cooper noMnu u-Imran Moosa wafolosa ngabo kuSASO. ETurfloop uBiko uhlangane noMnu uCyril Ramaphosa, uMnu Onkgopotse Abraham Tiro, uMnu uPhandelani Nefolovhodwe, uMnu uGesler Nkondo baqhuba umzabalazo weBCM.
UBiko wagcina exoshiwe eMedical School (eWentworth) ngoba kwathiwa ulibala ukupolitika akanaso isikhathi sezincwadi. Uhamba nje basele uMnu uBen Ngubane, uMnu u-Olaf Baloyi, uNkk uMamphele Ramphele uMnu uManqoba Zwane noMnu uLelau Mohuba benza izifundo zobudokotela futhi baqhuba ivangeli leBCM. Uhambe ngowe-1972 eNyuvesi yaseNatal, yize kunjalo akadikibalanga wasungula nabanye izinhlangano ezisiza umphakathi eThekwini. Lezi zinhlangano zazingenzinzuzo, ezinye zise-Adams Mission, eningizimu yeTheku, zesekwa nguSolwazi uBen Khoapa.
Imfundiso yeBCM ayigcinanga ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme ngemuva kokunqindwa amandla kukaBiko nozakwabo kodwa kwasungulwa iBlack People’s Convention (BPC), eyayinabaholi nezishoshovu ezazikholelwa kuBCM. Nabaholi bePAC abasebenqidwe Amandla babeyingxenye yeBPC kubalwa kubo uMnu uZeph Mothopeng. KuBPC kwakukhona abefundisi bezenkolo uMfundisi uFrank Chikane, uMfu uBarney Pityana, uMfu uBhuti Thlahale, nabefundisi bamaRoma aKhatholika baseRegina Mundi, eSoweto. Basungula iBlack Theology, eyayihambisana neBCM. Babesebinzisa ipulpiti ukuveza amahlazo nokulwa nenqubo yabandlululo.
Yize uBiko wayengasavunyelwe ukuhlangana nokukhuluma emphakathini, waqhubeka wasebenza nezinhlangano zomphakathi ezazisungulwe nguyena e-Eastern Cape, ngenhloso yokuthuthukisa aboHlanga. Wasungula umtholampilo iZanempilo neZimele Development Project, ebhala nasemaphephandabeni egxeka uHulumeni nenqubo yobandlululo. Waba ngumngani omkhulu womhleli wephephandaba iDaily Dispatch, uMnu uDonald Woods. UBiko wayengakholelwa ekutheni aboHlanga bangacela izinto kubelungu ekubeni benawo Amandla okuzenzela ngokwabo.
USteve Biko uhambe emhlabeni eseganwe nguNkk uNontsikelelo “Ntsiki” Mashalaba, intombi yaseMthatha, eyayingumhlengikazi eKing Edward V111 eThekwini. Babusiswa ngezinsizwa ezimbili uNkosinathi ngowe-1971 noSamora ngowe-1975.
Yasho inyosi yeSilo uDingane, uMagolwana kaMkhathi Jiyane, yathi: “Vezi kof’abantu kosal’ izibongo. Yizona ezosala zibalilela, zibadabula emanxiweni” Izinkolelo nezimfundiso zikaBiko yize yena eselele kobandayo, ziyohlala zimile ingunaphakade. - nguMenzi Jele